Foreign Fund Talks Over Urmia Lake Restoration

Following a recent order by President Hassan Rouhani, foreign finance can be used in Urmia Lake restoration projects, the governor general of West Azarbaijan Province said. Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari added that authorities have started negotiations with foreign countries to absorb $3 billion to accelerate the lake’s revival, IRNA reported. “Restoration plans must be undertaken by provincial officials because national authorities have other priorities in the country,” he said. Located between the provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, Urmia Lake has been facing serious drought for years. Its depletion is due to climate change, the long dry spell, unrestrained damming and excessive water use, especially in the agriculture sector. The volume of water in the lake has more than doubled since 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani launched the Urmia Lake Restoration Program. However, the extreme lack of rainfall has prevented ULRP from achieving its targets.